Newslinks for Sunday 15th September 2019

Former Tory leadership contender Sam Gyimah has joined the Liberal Democrats

“Boris Johnson has suffered a fresh blow as the former Tory universities minister Sam Gyimah dramatically defected to the Liberal Democrats, accusing the prime minister of “veering towards populism and English nationalism”. In a major coup for the Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson at the start of her party’s annual conference, Gyimah said he had left the Conservatives to fight against the government’s “scorched earth approach” to delivering Brexit regardless of the cost to the country. Announcing his defection exclusively to the Observer as his new party gathered in Bournemouth, Gyimah said centrists were being “cast out of both main parties”. The East Surrey MP called on them to unite and fight back against the drift to the extremes.” – The Observer

“I am an outcast in the Tory party” – Interview with Sam Gyimah – The Observer

Tougher sentences for child killers to be imposed

“Killers of young children will never be released from prison under Boris Johnson’s dramatic plans to ensure that “life means life” and the most violent offenders remain behind bars for ever. The Telegraph can disclose that Downing Street will use the prorogation of Parliament to relaunch the Prime Minister’s domestic policy agenda by unveiling a tough new approach to criminal justice. For the first time, murderers of pre-school children will be subject to whole-life orders, while Mr Johnson’s administration is also considering increasing minimum tariffs for other types of killings. Mr Johnson will use the Queen’s Speech to announce a new Sentencing Bill and plans to introduce statutory instruments – allowing the provisions of an Act to be subsequently brought into force without Parliament having to pass a new Act – in the week of Oct 14.” – Sunday Telegraph

Johnson “didn’t believe in Brexit”, claims Cameron

“Boris Johnson “didn’t believe in” Brexit and backed the leave campaign only to “help his political career”, David Cameron has declared, attacking the prime minister’s motives as he does battle with Brussels over a new deal. In a withering takedown of Johnson, Cameron accuses the leaders of the leave campaign of declaring “open warfare” on him and says they were guilty of “lying” to the public to win the referendum. In exclusive extracts from his memoir published today in The Sunday Times, Cameron brands Michael Gove a “foam-flecked Faragist” for his claims that millions of Turks could move to the UK. And he criticises Gove’s decision to abandon their friendship to vote leave before knifing Johnson during his first leadership bid. “As for Michael, one quality shone through: disloyalty. Disloyalty to me and, later, disloyalty to Boris,” Cameron writes.” – Sunday Times

Smug elitist who didn’t get it then and still doesn’t now – Matthew Goodwin, Mail on Sunday

“Nothing can prepare you for the death of a child” – Cameron Memoirs, Sunday Times

The Queen hoped the Scots would ‘think very carefully’ about independence – Cameron Memoirs, Sunday Times

‘Boris and Michael behaved appallingly: ambassadors for the truth twisting age of populism’ – Cameron Memoirs, Sunday Times

Sam and I had never heard our young daughter say the f‑word – Cameron Memoirs, Sunday Times

Facebook removes altered Conservative advertisement

“Facebook has removed a Conservative Party advert which misrepresented a BBC News story. The ad carried a BBC logo and headline saying “£14 billion pound cash boost for schools” – despite the story it linked to putting the figure at £7.1bn. The social media giant say the Tories had “misused” its advertising platform and it was working to stop headlines being changed in this way. The party has said it is reviewing the way its Facebook adverts are produced. The advert started running on 2 September following a government announcement on new funding for primary and secondary schools in England.” – BBC

PM insists he can ignore Commons vote without breaking the law…

“Boris Johnson today tells Brussels that Britain will break out of its ‘manacles’ like The Incredible Hulk if a Brexit deal cannot be struck by October 31. In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, the Prime Minister says that if negotiations break down, he will ignore the Commons vote ordering him to delay the UK’s departure, adding: ‘The madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets.’….If he fails to strike a deal, Mr Johnson is adamant that he will not obey Parliament’s order to ask the EU to extend Article 50. He has said that he would rather ‘die in a ditch’ than do so. No 10 strategists say they have devised a secret plan, known only to the PM and three key advisers, which they claim will allow them to ignore the order without breaking the law – although most legal experts are sceptical that such a ruse could work.” – Mail on Sunday

…while Remainer MPs “plot to revoke Article 50”

“Remainer MPs are secretly plotting to revoke Article 50 and stop the UK leaving the European Union at the end of next month, the Government warned on Saturday night. If no deal can be agreed with EU leaders by October, Downing Street sources say a “Remain alliance” of MPs in the Commons will try to force through new laws to stop Brexit altogether….New concerns have also emerged about the conduct of John Bercow, the House of Commons speaker, who went further than before in criticising the Government’s Brexit policy.” – Sunday Telegraph

Corbyn faces party conference showdown with Remainers

“A leaked dossier reveals the scale of dissent that Jeremy Corbyn will face over his Brexit position at the Labour Party conference next weekend. Four hundred pages of motions due to be debated in Brighton indicate a showdown between Corbyn and his grassroots over the European Union. Labour has pledged to hold a second referendum if it gets into government — but stopped short of saying that it would campaign for remain in all circumstances. More than 50 constituency Labour parties (CLPs), including many supportive of Corbyn personally, have submitted motions calling for an unambiguously pro-remain position. Dozens say that Labour’s manifesto must support stopping Brexit by campaigning for remain in a second referendum or by revoking article 50.” – Sunday Times

A quarter of the Shadow Cabinet own second homes

“Labour plans to clobber buy-to-let landlords despite a quarter of its Shadow Cabinet having second homes, a Sun on Sunday investigation reveals. It wants to give private tenants the same right-to-buy deal as council tenants.Britain’s 2.5million landlords would lose tens of thousands of pounds — even if they were pensioners relying on the income. Yet senior figures, such as Sir Keir Starmer and Emily Thornberry, are sitting on property portfolios most voters can only dream of.” – Sun on Sunday

“Anyone but Harriet” campaign for next Speaker…

“Cabinet ministers have launched an “anyone but Harriet” campaign to stop Harriet Harman being made speaker of the Commons when Mr Bercow steps down in seven weeks’ time…MPs will whittle down the current shortlist of eight candidates to be speaker over a series of votes on Nov 4, overseen by Ken Clarke, the longestserving MP and Father of the House, a few days after Mr Bercow quits after his decade in the chair on Oct 31. Conservative MPs are desperate to unite behind a rival to Ms Harman, a former deputy prime minister, who launched her bid to be speaker late last week on a “great reform agenda”. One Cabinet minister told The Sunday Telegraph: “We have to stop Harriet”, adding that they are throwing their weight behind respected Labour deputy speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle. A second Cabinet minister added: “It has to be Lindsay Hoyle. He is the only one who can restore balance.” – Sunday Telegraph

…as poll shows the public has lost faith in Parliament

“Almost eight in 10 believe Parliament is in desperate need of reform and 74 percent believe it is not fit for the 21st century. Seven in 10 think it fails to reflect the nation’s views and three-quarters believe that, internationally, it does not show Britain in a good light. A ComRes survey, carried out for the Sunday Express, found that almost six in 10 say it has not respected the 2016 referendum result – causing Brexiteers to blame the lack of trust in MPs on the failure to leave the EU….In a boost to Boris Johnson, 59 percent agreed there should be an election if the Labour/Remainer “surrender bill” to force another extension of EU membership succeeds.” – Sunday Express

Hodges: Corbynite push for deselections may backfire

“There’s a practical reason why the Momentum-led show trials of Labour MPs is set to backfire. It will actually make those MPs who survive the ordeal stronger. The number one Corbynite target for deselection was Deputy Leader Tom Watson. But he was safely reselected by his constituency with only one vote cast in opposition. And that was reportedly because the member concerned got confused about which box to tick. Numerous other Labour MPs are also safely negotiating the process. And they are as mad as hell about being forced through it, especially with a General Election on the horizon.” – Dan Hodges, Mail on Sunday

Lawson: Hammond’s attacks on “rightwing extremism” are absurd

“The idea that Johnson is a hardline right-wing extremist, compared with nice old middle-of-the road Phil, is hilarious to anyone who has studied both men’s careers. When Hammond first stood for parliament in the 1994 Newham by-election, the most noticeable feature of his campaign was a pledge to bring back hanging (as if he could). Hammond was 38 — this was not an excess of youthful enthusiasm for the rope — and it was considered “extreme right-wing” even then. Much more recently — in 2013 — Hammond, then defence secretary, broke ranks with the rest of the cabinet to attack David Cameron’s plans to legalise same-sex marriage. He told BBC’s Question Time audience there was “a real sense of anger” among voters at the proposed change and that “I have just never felt that this is what we should be focusing on”.” – Dominic Lawson, Sunday Times

Ashcroft: How Rees-Mogg made his millions

“Once it was clear that Rees-Mogg’s demands would not be met by Lloyd George, he left the business, along with Johnson, Robertson and several other members of staff – and set up a venture of his own, Somerset Capital Management. Working from the basement of Rees-Mogg’s Mayfair townhouse, the newly formed company began operating in earnest in July 2007. Rees-Mogg has said that for the first few months he paid all the salaries out of his own bank account as the business got off the ground, and his pride in his subsequent achievement is palpable. In total, it had £400 million under management in its first year. By 2010, its clients included the household of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. SCM now employs 43 people in London and Singapore, and has $7 billion under management.” – Lord Ashcroft, abridged from Jacob’s Ladder: The Unauthorised Biography Of Jacob Rees-Mogg – Mail on Sunday

Hannan: Putin is still making excuses for Stalin

“Today’s anti-communist Russian regime has no reason to make excuses for Stalin. It is deliberately opting to do so. Just as Lenin chose to take up the strategic goals of Imperial Russia, so Putin chooses to inherit those of USSR, whose dissolution he has always regretted. Behind the playing down of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, behind the bizarre propaganda about Polish aggression, behind the puerile claim that Stalin had been forced onto the defensive, lies a conviction that Poland, the Baltic States, Moldova and even Finland are all, somehow, renegade Tsarist provinces. Just as Stalin was within his rights to reoccupy them so, implicitly, Putin is within his rights to regard them as protectorates.” – Daniel Hannan, Sunday Telegraph

News in brief

Why the UK hasn’t presented any specific, backstop proposal to the EU – James Forsyth, The Spectator

It’s time for some perspective to replace the Operation Yellowhammer hysteria – John May, Brexit Central

This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, http://www.conservativehome.com and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact the USSANews.com administrator by using the contact form located in the top-left menu. Your request will be immediately honored. Please visit http://www.conservativehome.com for more terrific, conservative content. The owner of this website may be paid to recommend American Bullion. The content of this website, including the positive review of American Bullion, the negative review of its competitors, and any other information may not be independent or neutral.